MARGAO: Villagers of Davorlim on the outskirts of the commercial capital woke up on Saturday to hear the shocking news of a daring dacoity in their backyard when an eight member gang of armed, masked dacoits barged inside the bungalow of Allan Rodrigues and decamped with gold ornaments and cash after tying them inside the house.
After an hour and half long operation, the gang made good their escape in a car and two-wheeler belonging to the family.
The daring incident, which sent shock waves across Salcete, occurred at around 3 am on Saturday when the dacoits effected entry into the bungalow by removing the window grill. At the time of the incident, Allan, his wife and two daughters were inside the bungalow. The dacoit spoke in chaste Hindi and barring one, all had covered their faces with clothes put for drying in the neighbourhood. They are also believed to have feasted on liquor, fruits and ice cream in the house and took away a cell phone while fleeing. The miscreants are also believed to have latched the doors and gates of the neighbouring houses as a precautionary measure.
Armed with sticks, spanners and a kitchen knife, they effected entry into the bedroom occupied by Allan and wife and woke them up, demanding cash and jewellery. Completely taken by surprise by the sudden turn of events, Mrs Rodrigues handed over their wedding rings, Allan’s gold chain, besides cash of Rs 12,000 to the miscreants. But, disappointed over the meagre booty, the dacoits insisted on more valuables and led the husband-wife duo to the children’s bedroom in a bid to lay their hands on the gold and jewellery. At one stage, they even threatened the family with dire consequences, including rape of the woman members, if they did not cooperate and hand over the valuables. Mrs Rodrigues tried to impress upon the miscreants that they are a salaried people and even produced the fake jewellery to prove a point that they have no more valuables.
All four members of the family were tied up by the doctor . However, Allan was later untied to help start the car, before they made good their escape in the car after Allan returned to the house.
The family first called their relatives staying in the vicinity and later called up the Maina Curtorim police station to report the dacoity.
Margao Sub Divisional Police Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik said the police have launched investigations into the case and are working on a clue to nab the dacoits. Senior police officials believe that the dacoity appears to be the handiwork of a professional gang of criminals, probably from outside the state.
Police officials from the Maina Curtorim police station and police from the Margao sub-division rushed to the spot after the incident. A police sniffer dog and finger print expert could not provide any vital clues, sources said. The total value of the stolen items, including the two vehicles is put at over Rs 7 lakhs.
